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Monday, February 08, 2010

Procrastination

Here's a little Monday fun, sent to me by Pastor Kevin. There's a bit of debate as to the necessity of procrastination in the writing process. Of course, procrastinators will say that procrastination is a vital part of the writing process. :)

I've pegged the meter on procrastination before. Thought my daughter claims to be the queen procrastinator around here. (Having bitten my fingernails wondering if she will get a term paper done in time, I can attest to her procrastination prowess.)

I'm of the opinion that a lot of the writing process might look like procrastination, a lot of starring into the middle distance and muttering, but not a lot of words on the page. But eventually, if you want to be a writer--a published writer--the navel gazing has to stop and the typing has to begin.

Question for you: Do you procrastinate? Is it part of your creative process, or is it an excuse not to write?

Jessica – procrastination is never an excuse; it's a lifestyle! Don't apologize for it.

CJ – I've never wanted to be a writer, but every week, in preparing sermons, I face this fear about writing things down. I mean, what if it shows that I really have nothing to say? What if no one listens? Or if no one cares? Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

Georgiana – clearly the creator of this was a guy. As far as snacking while writing, well, that, along with procrastination is just a given, I think.

I love the cartoon! I'm not typically a procrastinator in my daily life and I try to not be as a writer. One thing, though, I DO seem to find more motivation and write better when I'm under pressure. Hmm...does this give me special license to procrastinate?

I KNOW that procrastination is a curse that gets worse with age. :) I thought for sure I was the QUEEN of procrastination... but let's not fight over the title. It's certainly not something anyone should want. Deadlines are what motivate me. Without them, I'm a slug. Sometimes I'm successful in setting my own, but not usually. All depends on the project. Anything to do with our conference or writers' group-I'm ahead of the game. Self-editing or writing my novel, no. Mmmmm, I guess I just proved I'm not the queen. I'm a worker bee. I work better when I'm accountable to others. Well... just worked out my procrastination problems, didn't we. All I need is a book contract to get me rolling. :)

You're right. Sometimes when I'm "procrastinating" I'm thinking of my next sentence or paragraph or plot line! But at least when I am "procrastinating" I'm sitting down in front of my lap top (even if I hop over to Twitter too often!)

Most of the time I dawdle and procrastinate just because I am not sure how to begin or continue a project. Or I just would rather do something else, like read a good book:) But I suppose I could say that reading is helping the creative process. While true, it still falls into the procrastinating category.